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AN INTERNATIONAL
SELECTION OF COOKIES

By Betty Shimabukuro
Photos by Craig T. Kojima
Star-Bulletin

The weekend before Christmas draws near and it's time for holiday baking, a tradition in many homes, and if you don't think it has grabbed hold in yours, just try telling the family you don't plan to bake this year.

But perhaps your repertoire could be expanded. To that end, today we offer an international selection of cookie recipes, drawn from island chefs who hail from other parts of this Earth. They offer combinations of flavors and spices far beyond mere chocolate chips and sugar sprinkles.

Flex those dough-making muscles. And happy baking to all.

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France

Jean-Marie Josselin chef/owner of A Pacific Cafe, recalls late-night baking sessions where he'd make batches of cookies to pass out to his friends. He'd sometimes fall asleep at the table while waiting for the cookies to bake.

The next day he'd ski from his home in the French Alps' village of Chamonix to school at the bottom of the mountain, carrying his cookies.

Josselin offers a French Oatmeal Currant Cookie that bakes up wide, flat and crispy.

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Finland

Goran Streng, executive chef at the Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki shares a recipe for Joulutorut, or Finnish Christmas Stars -- pinwheels of pastry surrounding a prune filling. If prunes aren't your thing, try another kind of jam, perhaps lilikoi?

(The red horse, courtesy Kris Kringle's Den, Ward Warehouse, symbolizes Christmas in Scandinavia.)

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China

Christmas is not celebrated in China, but cooking teacher and caterer Titus Chan suggests adding Almond Cookies, with their festive red centers, to holiday baskets.

Baking for holidays such as the Lunar New Year (welcoming the Year of the Dragon in 2000) is a tradition in China, Chan says, as families prepare to welcome guests into their homes.

The simple recipe, which incorporates coconut as well as chopped almonds, is a favorite with his cooking classes.

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Sri Lanka

Kusuma Cooray, associate professor in the Food Service and Hospitality Education Department at Kapiolani Community College, says cookies -- called biscuits -- were a part of the daily tea-time ritual when she was growing up.

Nanakhatai, flavored with cardamom and pepper, is her childhood favorite.

"A very special thing about these hard cookies was they had a hint of spices in them. Their haunting aroma is unforgettable."

(A crib is placed outside Christian homes to welcome the baby Jesus.)

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